Quick opening truck tank plug



may 1 G. H. CLAY zmmss QUICK OPENING TRUCK TANK PLUG Filed April 17, 1935 Patented May 12, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,040,358 QUICK OPENING TRUCK TANK PLUG George H. Clay, Kansas City, Mo. Application April 17, 1935, Serial No. 16,769 3 Claims. (Cl. 22055 This invention relates to tank plugs or covers, and more particularly to such covers as used in tank trucks and the like.

One of the objects of the invention is to produce a strong, durable, efficient and inexpensive cover for tanks which is easily operated and in which the operating parts are entirely concealed within the cover structure and the filling neck of the tank.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction of the character set forth in which the cover is held yieldingly on its seat, and is locked in position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction in which a manually operable lever is employed to lock or unlock the cover, said lever, by preference, being detachable from the locking mechanism so that unauthorized opening of the cover is guarded against.

With the general objects named in view and others as will hereinafter appear, the invention may consist in certain novel and useful features of construction and organization of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which: 7

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a cover embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a section on the line III[ of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the inside of the cover and illustrates its locking mechanism.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the locking spider turned upside down to more clearly show the nature of the locking lugs or hooks.

Figure 5 is afragmentary plan view of a slightly modified form of construction.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical section through the construction shown in Figure 5.

In the said drawing, where like reference characters identify corresponding parts in all of the figures, I indicates a filling neck or tank dome provided with the usual central opening for giving access to the tank. In truck tank construction it is desired that the cover shall be secured to the tank in a permanent manner, consequently a hinge butt 2 is carried by the filling neck to which arms 3, integral with the cover 4, are pivotally secured by means of a pin 5. In practice the connection between the arms 3 and the pin 5 is loose so that the cover may be yieldingly seated as will hereinafter appear.

The cover is formed on its inner face with a depending concentrically arranged boss 6, which may be internally threaded to receive a relief and safety valve mechanism 1 of any suitable type. To provide a seat for a gasket 8, the inner face of the cover is formed with a concentrical downwardly depending flange 9. Thus a circular pocket or recess is provided between the boss 6 5 and the flange 9. Seated within the circular recess or pocket is a spider I0 having a central opening receiving the boss 6. The spider is held, under normal conditions, pressed against the underside of the cover 4 in the construction as 10 here shown, by means of three pins I I projecting from the underside of the cover and concentrically arranged, said pins passing through slots I2 in the spider I 0 and having their-ends provided with cotter pins and washers I3. Mounted 15 on each pin, between the under face of the spider I0 and its respective head portion (the cotters and washers) is a spring I4 which tends to hold the spider and the cover 4 tightly pressed together.

Projecting into the filling opening and carried by the filling neck I, in the construction as here shown, are three pins I 5 for interlocking engagement with hooks I6 projecting from the underside of the spider Ill. Each hook is formed with a cam face I! terminating in a locking recess or pocket I8, so that when the cover 4 is down and the spider is rotated, each pin I5 will ride upa cam I1 and bring about the compression of the springs I4 to yieldingly seat the cover gasket 8 on the periphery of the filling neck I. The rotation of the spider is continued until the pins I5 come to rest in the locking seats I8 in the locking hooks I6, thus holding the parts locked against accidental opening or unlocking movement as might otherwise occur incident to the jars and jolts to which a tank truck is subjected.

In order to rotate the spider from the exterior of the cover, the operating mechanism shown in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, may be employed. A boss I 9 is cast integral with the outer face of the cover 4, and said boss is provided with a bore or passageway having an internal shoulder 20. The outer end of the bore is threaded to receive a 45 threaded packing and journal bushing or nut 2I. The bushing is formed with an internally recessed hexagonal head 22, and journaled in said bushing is a rotatable shaft 23, having a rectangular head 24 within the recess in the head 22 for access by a tool or the like. The shaft 23 is formed with a circumferential flange 25 which, by abutment on one side with the shoulder 20, and with the end of the bushing 2!, at its other side, holds the shaft 23 against longitudinal 55 movement in either direction. The end of the shaft 23 is reduced as at 26 and is journaled in a pocket formed in the cover 4. Intermediate its ends, the shaft 23 is formed with a rectangular portion fitting a corresponding opening in one end of a rock lever 28, which projects downwardly into the filling neck. The lower end of the rock lever 28 is received within a notch or opening 29 in the spider I0, the parts being so proportioned that'when the shaft 23 is rotated, the rock lever 28 will rock and by thrusting against opposite sides of the notch 29 will rotate the spider II] a sufiicient distance to engage and disengage its cam hooks 16 with the pins I5 carried .by the V structi on is .shown, in which the relative posi-" 'tions of the rotating shaft'and its rock lever are 'filling neck I, to lock or unlockthe cover in closed position and yieldingly seated on its seat on the filling neck.

InrFigures and 6, a slightly different con changed. Here the cover 30 is formed with a vertically projecting boss 3| provided with a central bore or passageway having an internal shoul- The outer end of the bore is threaded to' receivea threadedjournal bushing or nut 33. The bushing is formed with a hexagonal head projectingbeyond the top of the boss for access by a wrench or operating handle. A shaft 36 is journaled in the boss and is formed with a circumferential flange 31, which, by abutment on one side with the shoulder 31 withinthe cover,

' same as that heretofore described.

and on itsother side, with one end of the bushing 33. holds the shaft against longitudinal movement in either direction. The end of the shaft is provided with a rectangular portion fitted in a corresponding opening in one end of a rock lever 38,.which is held in position by means of a pair of lock nuts 39 threaded on the reduced lower end of the shaft 35, as shown. positioned in a'horizontal plane when the cover The rock lever 38 is is closed and is adapted to contact opposite sides of a slot 40 cut in the periphery of the rotating spider M. The operation of this structure is the From the above description, it will be apparent that while I have descri ed and illustrated a construction possessing all of the features of advan tage set forth as desirable, it is to be understood spirit of the invention and without the ambit of the prior art.

With the construction as described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 in particular, it is apparent that a sealing wire may be readily applied as shown in Figures 1 and 2, so that access to the tank by unauthorized persons is guarded against.

that I reserve the right to all changes within the f This is particularly desirable to meet State regulations regarding the sealing of tank trucks in the transportation of gasoline and the like.

I claim:-

,1. In cover mechanism, the combination of a filling neck, a cover member adapted to close the V opening therethrough, a locking spider depending from the cover member and rotatable independently thereof, interlocking members respectively opening therethrough, a locking spider depending from they cover member and rotatable independ- "ently thereof, interlocking members respectively 7 carried by the spider and filling neck, a rock lever engaging the spider to rotate the same in either direction, and a manually operable shaft journaled in the cover for operating said rock lever.

..3. In cover mechanism,,the combination of a filling neck, a .cover member hingedly secured thereto and adapted to close the opening therethrough, a series of headed pins depending from said cover a spider having slots through which said pins project, springs inserted between the heads of said pins andthe spider to press the latter toward the cover, interlocking members 1 respectively carried by the filling neck and spider,

' a shaft journaled in the cover and operable from the exterior thereof, and a connection between the shaft and spider to rotate the latter to engage or disengage the interlocking members and yieldingly seat the cover onthe filling neck.

GEORGE H. CLAY. 

